‘Living with disability and disasters’ is the focus of the United Nations International Day for Disaster Reduction 2013 (Oct 13th). It aims to increase awareness of the needs of those living with disability in disaster, and ensure that these needs are addressed in the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction.
More than 1 billion people in the world live with a disability, yet frequently remain marginalised in the process of disaster planning and preparedness. This results in a disproportionate level of risk when disaster strikes. When not adequately included in the planning process, people living with disability can face restricted access to potentially lifesaving information, as well as increased vulnerability and reduced ability to respond.
When compiling this piece I struggled to find a great deal of existing work on the topic. My searches kept directing me to blogs and articles written, as this one, in acknowledgment of the International Day of Disaster Reduction. Check out the posts from Huffington Post and Prevention Web, as well as a full list here from the UNISDR. These highlight the importance of the day in drawing attention to a vitally important matter. It seems strange that we should have to remind ourselves that ‘access for all’ should be a mainstreamed concept in the context of disaster preparedness and response. The focus is positive, and steps should be taken to ensure that the ability to prepare and respond to disaster is open to all. Inclusiveness saves lives.
Disasters result in situations in which access to information can be challenging but lifesaving. Communication of information before, during and following a disaster can have life changing impacts for affected communities. For those communication channels to be successful they have to be accessible to all; which is something that requires forward planning.
The threat facing those living with disability can take many forms. Infrastructure, services, care and a range of factors which are normally relied upon in day-to-day life can become especially scarce in the wake of a disaster. Unless properly planned, the replacement or delivery of these can be forgotten during the initial response phases. A number of resources can be found to aid in creating a disaster response plan if you or a family member lives with a disability, such as this checklist and resource compilation from Disastersrus. The Disability inclusive DRR Network is another such group working to promote and increase inclusiveness in disaster risk reduction.
Inclusiveness in disaster response requires increased focus on a global scale, whether it is in the Greater London Authority or USA as highlighted in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
The Emergency 2.0 Wiki Accessibility Toolkit was developed to empower people with disabilities to use social media for disaster preparedness, response and recovery. The toolkit includes information on how to access certain types of media, such as the Easy Chirp; an alternative twitter portal which enables tweets to be read with assistive technologies. An important consideration as social media plays an increasingly prominent role in information sharing and communication during disasters. The toolkit includes accessible YouTube videos specifically aimed at preparedness for different types of disasters, and tailored advice for people living with disability. A number of smartphone apps are also detailed, among them the emergencySMS service, which allows deaf, hard of hearing and speech-impaired people in the UK to send an SMS text message to the UK 999 service where it will be passed to the police, ambulance, fire rescue, or coastguard.
Engage is a service in the US which sends emergency alerts accessible to people who are deaf or have a hearing impairment. Many mobile phones now come with the option to utilise the inbuilt flash mode of a camera, as an extra way to attract the user’s attention to an incoming call or message. A service that some may be familiar with on the hands-free settings of their mobiles is the text to voice function. Alerts for those with visual impairments can be converted to an audio voice reading.
A number of multisensory alert systems exist, many of which have daily uses, as alarm clocks, visitor notification systems, and incoming SMS and voice calls. It’s important that such technologies are properly integrated with early warning and communication systems to allow for the effective transfer of information when it’s needed most.
Plans are in place which give sign language presenters rapid access to disaster warning and news information, so that this can quickly be communicated via dedicated sign language channels. PlusVoice, a Japan-based company, helped people who are deaf or have hearing impairments access warning information following the 2011 Tsunami. Information was communicated by a sign language interpreter via videophone.
In an effort to take more of these views on board, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction recently carried out a survey of people living with disabilities and how they cope in disasters. The initial findings of the research can be found here and the survey is open for entries until the end of 2013. The findings of research into emergency communications and people with disabilities studied the way in which communication plays a vital role in disaster response, and how this must be made accessible.
In planning for disasters, the needs of those living with disability need to be properly integrated into action and response plans. The International Day for Disaster Reduction draws attention to the work that needs to be done to ensure this becomes part of mainstream practice.
Communication is aid, but only when it is accessible to all.